Evaluation of Patients' Perceptions of Mesh Usage in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery

Transvaginal mesh in the media following the 2011 US food and drug administration public health notification update

“…In a survey of patients presenting to a specialty urology clinic with pelvic organ prolapse or urinary incontinence, Tenggardjaja et al found that 52% of patients believed that surgical mesh was being recalled; the authors suggested that exposure to litigation-related news coverage or advertisements might have heavily influenced patients. 8 The findings in the present study demonstrate that while active recalls of mesh were reported by the media, these were few in number and limited in scope, comprising just 6% of the sample. Koski et al showed a high penetration of advertisements for mesh-related lawsuits in a clinic population, although the advertisements were not associated with increased opposition to transvaginal mesh.…”

“…For instance, the expanding availability of and access to electronic news and social media may blur the vetting of “good” and “bad” health information. In the context of shifting patient perceptions about transvaginal mesh, this study systematically examined news media for 3 years following the 2011 FDA recommendations to analyze published information about mesh and discern its potential impact on patients.…”

“…5,6 Media coverage of transvaginal mesh at the time of the 2011 update, as well as during the public controversy that followed, has been implicated in biasing patients against transvaginal mesh, even though the FDA has neither recalled mesh products from the market nor expanded the warnings to include mesh used in urinary incontinence surgery. 7,8 To date, no study has systematically examined how the FDA notification has been reported in the news or how surgical mesh has been discussed by the media more broadly. To understand the role of the lay press in shaping patient perceptions, this study aimed to assess the nature and quality of news coverage about transvaginal mesh following the 2011 FDA recommendations.…”

“…In contrast, the placement of new mesh for prolapse and mesh slings for stress urinary incontinence may have declined during 2011 and since the announcement . Media coverage of transvaginal mesh at the time of the 2011 update, as well as during the public controversy that followed, has been implicated in biasing patients against transvaginal mesh, even though the FDA has neither recalled mesh products from the market nor expanded the warnings to include mesh used in urinary incontinence surgery . To date, no study has systematically examined how the FDA notification has been reported in the news or how surgical mesh has been discussed by the media more broadly.…”

Lessons Learned from Mesh Litigation for Prolapse and Incontinence

“…They found that 61.8 % of patients surveyed were aware of the FDA-released information, with 69.2 % listing television as a source of information. Of these, 52 % of patients believed there was a mesh Brecall^ [21]. This further demonstrates the magnitude of misinformation available to patients.…”